Whitbread shakes up in-house work with new PR chief

Whitbread Beer Company has restructured its in-house PR across its

range of beer brands, which include Heineken and Stella Artois, with the

appointment of a brand communications director.

Phil Rumbol, currently marketing manager for Heineken, takes over in the

new role, and will be responsible for sponsorship, press, PR and new

media initiatives.

Among the other brands he will be overseeing are Murphy’s, Bass Ice,

Rolling Rock and newly launched spirit mixers Source and Volsk.

Rumbol said: ’My new role reflects the importance of developing new

communication initiatives which fall outside traditional advertising and

promotions.’ He will support individual brand marketing teams, ensuring

best value in handling new media forms such as digital TV.

The new position commences in January, reporting to marketing and sales

director Stewart Gilliland. Rumbol will lead a team of five.

He has been with the company for more than two years and joined from

food multinational Kraft Jacobs Suchard.

Cohn and Wolfe handles Whitbread’s corporate and trade PR, while each

brand employs an external agency. Larkspur Communications handles

Murphy’s, and Communique PR handles Volsk.

Mandy MacLeod, currently the company’s most senior PR manager. will

report to Rumbol from January.

Corporate PR is handled by parent company Whitbread PLC’s corporate

affairs director David Reed.